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College's Sustainability Efforts Receive Improved Grade

Hope College has moved up in the annual “College Sustainability Report Card” compiled by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

Hope has earned a B- in the report for 2011, a dramatic climb given that the college received a D- grade two years ago and a C+ for 2010.

The report card evaluates institutions in nine main categories: administration, climate change and energy, food and recycling, green building, student involvement, transportation, endowment transparency, investment priorities and shareholder engagement. The college’s aggregate score included As in food and recycling and in investment priorities.

Other institutions with higher overall grades make larger financial investments in personnel and departments solely vested in sustainable efforts. Hope continues to strive to balance its commitment to environmental stewardship with the stewardship of the financial resources entrusted to it, particularly with regard to the impact of spending on tuition.

Sustainability is an ongoing process at the college that includes not only individual and departmental efforts but the coordinating work of a Sustainability Advisory Committee comprised of faculty, administrators and students.